Wise Dragon... All you are doing is just rehashing what many others have stated already. We know what this team *needs.* But making suggestions on what this team needs is a lot different than attacking Sura for *not giving the ball to Yao after a WIN!* Do honestly think that your 1,2,3 list is telling us anything new? Lets see....we should make a trade with the Mavs, Grizz, Spurs, Sonics, Jazz, Warriors, Clips, Suns and Kings...hmmm, tell me how long has it been since we made a blockbuster trade? Oh, wow! It was THIS YEAR! Yeah, maybe you forgot that! There's that guy named TMac? Ya know him? I'd thought I just remind you. All future trades *will* happen, as I just stated: IN THE FUTURE! So, patience young man! You can't get what you want today! If you think it's that easy...go get Nash. This team will look a lot different each year. FA, trades and minor contracts will happen over the next 2 years. It happens gradually. Not TODAY, like you want it. I think that's your problem. You want everything NOW, then point out obvious problems with the team TODAY, and then claim that you are such a genius for doing so. I mean, come on! Get real. Taylor is a hold over from the Rudy days. And he wont be a Rocket for very long. Howard was part of the TMac deal. Let me know what plan you had for *not* taking Howard, while getting TMac, and also getting that athletic PF this year? I'm sure you know, since you have all the "answers." So, this talk about "sacrifice Yao's development" is nonsense. Yao is developing on his own merits. Not because others make him develop. You think that bringing in a better rebounding PF is going to help Yao develop? Not really. That will help the team win. But Yao's development is dependent on him alone! Not some role player covering-up his flaws. That's about complementing Yao. Not helping him develop. I mean, if Yao needs a role player to help him develop, then maybe Yao isn't a *good* as you think he is. Next... A better passing PG will help the WHOLE team. Not just Yao. But that *better* PG will still have to deal with Yao's hands of stone, Yao still having problems with more physical players, Yao's turnovers, average rebounding, and missed dunks. All that has nothing to do with a better PG. That's still on Yao. There's only a few excellent PGs in the league. And those PG are hard to get because they are hot commodities. Other teams want them you know? And the Rockets are not the center of the universe. Those players may prefer to play on other teams. You can't just *go get them* just because you want them. "FREE scout/customer feedback?" You make it sound like it's a privilege that we aren't paying you! LOL! It's *free* because that's all your opinion is worth. The managment and fans know what this team needs alreday. It's getting those players that is the hard part. You think it's as easy as just making a phone call and ordering a pizza? The management are constantly looking for new players they can add (behind the scenes). But with factors like salary caps, contracts disputes, team preferences, players types, chemistry issues, and what we have to offer ($) has a lot to do with what players we can get. That sounds like bandwagon fan. You change your opinion as the wind blows. In fact, all you would be doing is only pointing out the obvious. Not real constructive criticism. Kind of like this... "If we win, it's good!" "If we loose, it's bad!" Duh! So, you can keep your FREE scout/customer feedback to yourself. We don't need you pointing out the obvious wins and obvious losses. By the way, you posted a "“Pass the damn rock, Sura” post after, Sura scored 15, had 7assist, Yao scord 22 and 10 rebounds and achieved that ever so important WIN! That's not very wise to post a "pass the damn rock, Sura..." when the player you criticize obviously helped the Rockets win. That's just pure Yao-bias. Because the team will improve each year. And it's Yao's choice. Your whole question is based on an assumption that we'll be the same team every year and that Yao shouldn't sign because of it. This is completely overlooking the fact this team just made a big trade for Tmac and it will take some time to improve the roster; each year. By the way, the mere fact you even asked that question, suggest that you wouldn't want Yao to say here under those conditions, thus go to another team. Hmmm, which one would that be? Huh?
Nope that's wrong. Yao's mother is very involved with the restuarant - I think they're using some of her recipes as well. The ownership - is not Yao's family though - the owner is the guy who owns the Peking Restuarant on Gessner and 59.
*bows to DavidS* I don't think anyone else needs to post anymore, David cleaned it all up. Move it along guys, nuthin to see here!
DavidS, I assume you are not actually someone associated with Rockets management. Becuase my points about the horrendous Rockets management decisions in the last couple of years would be so blatantly obvious that they won't be pretty to look at. I have been following Rockets very closely for more than two years. So there is no need for you to re-educate me how we got all our players. Without going into details, look at Rockets personnels. 1. In the last 6 years, Rockets draft picks came up completely EMPTY. Yes. The number of Rockets picks on this team is ZERO. Yao does not count since he is an obvious choice. 2. Besides Yao and T-Mac, the next youngest Rocket is Maurice Taylor at 29. Barret and Gaines do not count since they are basically not really playing. When Yao and T-Mac reach their primes in a few years, where will the supporting cast be? 3. Besides Yao and T-Mac, Rockets have no tradable assets. Rockets also are over the cap. Paying Yao the max after his rookie contract is only going to make the cap situation worse. How are Rockets going to acquire quality role players? MLE is only going to be around $5M a year. Each year it can be hit or miss. Often good role players cost more than MLE. Draft picks have been ALL misses in recent years. There are lots of holes to fill in the roster. Remember, Rockets have nobody besides Yao and T-Mac. 4. Rockets basically gutted the team for T-Mac trade. In this trade Rockets lost athletic PF in Cato and perimeter shooter/defender in Cat. Rockets are basically a T-Mac focused team right now. Now if you look at the situation from purely business point of view, how is Rockets a good fit for Yao? Assume we are putting loyalty/sentimental attachment aside for the moment.
Of course...But that's not what you said. Basically what you are saying is that the Rockets picked bad, unless they were good picks. Wanna see some *good* role player picks? I'll show you the supporting cast for Duncan's team. Wanna see some "bad" role player picks? Any player on the Spurs w/out Duncan. I'm not saying that they aren't talented. I'm saying that you first must get a leader. Then, you get the role players. And those role players benifit from the leader/all-star/HOFer, like they do with Duncan. What about us? Yao. 1st pick. And TMac, trade. That's all that matters for now...the rest of the time from here on out is about fine tuning. Some of our past role player picks were considered "bad" only because we had a team lead by Francis. How far should we have expected to go with him? How much more talent would we have need to achieve the same level of team we have today? I'd say a lot. We are much better off today in term of our future than ever before. Our next draft picks will benefit from this. Our picks will be *better* picks because of TMac/Yao. We have a soild foundation for those draft picks to play in. KT? Bring him back. And he'd play like 6th man of the year (an energy guy that we could use). Oh, yeah. And bring Mobley back too (I'm dreaming). Sura Mobley (Mobley makes the All-Star team in place of Kobe's injury) Tmac Howard/KT (6th man of the year) Yao
wow..ya know...I doubt there is any here that would consider a second round pick by the name of Cuttino Mobley as a EMPTY pick....much less the other choice second rounder we picked up by the name of Othella Harrington........or how bout Kenny Thomas? We may not have these guys anymore...but they all brought in good players when they were traded......well....maybe not the KT trade....but stilll.....we had to give up Cat to get Tmac...and as much as I dig Cat..that was a no brainer....
Look at it this way. All that mattered was GETTING TMac. We needed to do that FIRST. It was necessary for the future of this team. It was a steal! It's not apparent now. But history will show this. Just wait. And yes it's true that we GUTTED this team for TMac. But it's more important to get the core of Tmac/Yao, than it would be to acquire a lot of good athletic role players but NOT get TMac. We should *not* look short term. We should look long term. Even if that means that we will suffer a bit because we had to GUT this team. We are sacrificing NOW (lacking athleticism in our role players), to succeed in the future (we stole TMac). I want this team to become a DYNASTY over time. But this takes patience. I want to take our time, get experience in the play-offs, mature, see how far we go....then go back to the drawing board and re-assess our needs. Believing that Yao should go to another team because it's not happening fast enough (grass is greener) is not wise. Little by little this team will be built. And the end result will be amazing. The Spurs and Suns will be big problems for us. But we have to go through the pain of playing them and possible loosing. That's just part of maturity and assessment of this team. Give it 2-3 years and we'll be challenging for a title for a long time. We will be a defensive, half-court oriented team (success in the play-offs), constantly improving our offense by acquiring key players here and there...as well as enjoying the improvement of TMac and Yao over the next 7-8 years (if Tmac doesn't retire early). Both of them are still improving. Not just Yao. That's a recipe for success in the regular season AND the play-offs. We are doing it the right way, slowly but surely. Dallas and the Mavs have shown that playing weak defense will NOT get it done. And relying on a superstar (Chris Webber) who disappears in the play-offs also will not get it done. Tmac will not do this. He's already shown that he has enough heart to carry a team single handily. All he needed was some defense and better talent around him (Yao needs this too). We are following the Spurs model. But with an emphasis on Tmac first (SG). Yao second (vice Duncan first; PF/C).
Oh, Lancet. I feel overwhelming pity for you. Like a child who has soiled themselves on the school playground and cries in vain for their mommy to make them all better, you have been repeatedly decimated in this discussion. I actually feel like you have moved beyond a basketball discussion into one that has more to do with your own insecurities and ego. Step away from the keyboard. Slowly now. You can do it!
Yao is a #1 overall draft pick. No so many teams can screw up the #1 overall draft pick. If you think Rockets organization is in the same class as Clippers/Wizards, then I have proven my point. So tell me again, how on earth will Rockets go with a team with only T-Mac and Yao to a solid team with 9 real players? Remember, 1. Rockets are over the cap. 2. Rockets has no tradable assets. 3. Rockets has a 6-year history of landing nothing in the picks, except Yao the #1 overall pick. Good role players just don't fall out of sky. Other teams won't trade their good players for our garbage. MLE is just once a year and many good players cost more than MLE. If you think CD, or any GM in the league, has any idea on how to magically come up with 9 player solid team, you will be daydreaming.
Just saying that Yao is a #1 pick doesn't make him play like he's a Hakeem. Yao a very good center. But if TMac was not here, Yao's pick wouldn't seem as rosy. Yao has good nights and bad nights. And our team record would reflect those ups and downs much more than if we didn't have TMac. Yao's improvement is based on his hard work and willingness to learn. Not just because he was a #1 pick. About the Wizzards and Kwame Brown (picked by Jordan and mentored by Jordan)... Check the Wizards record. Brown is injured. And they are winning. So, there's no "screw up" 1# round picks. It's the players job to improve. The organization can only do so much. Kwame Brown was not "screwed up" by the organization. He's a product of circumstances and his own work ethic. And please don't say that it's the job of the organization to make the player work hard. What that player brings to the court is up to that player. Not just the fact they were #1 picks. Joe Smith, another 1st pick, is the player he is; average/good. His 1# pick is besides the point. 1st picks have ranged from bad to great. The "screw up" applies to the players themselves. Not the organization. They offer support, not pampering and butt wiping. By the way, it's not I that think the Rockets are in the same class as the Clips/Wizz. It is YOU that thinks that. You suggested that not many teams can screw up a 1st round pick, but subtly point out that the Rockets may be doing *just that* with Yao. That's why you are straddling the fence on whether we are like the Clipppers/Wizzards. Trying to cover both bases? Save face? See, what you are saying that not many teams can *screw up* the 1st pick of Yao (to cover your error on that the Rockets made ZERO good picks)...and at the same time, implying that we are ARE doing *just that.* Trying to prove that we *are* like the Clippers/Wizz. And because you think we are....you are trying to suggest that Yao should leave *before it's too late.* Nice spinning you got going on there! DUH! That's what I've been telling you in my last three post. But you seem to think that we can just make a call and get those players. Now you change your story? Maybe it really wasn't about *getting those players* but rather wanting Yao to leave? Come on, tell the truth. And if you are suggesting that Yao should leave the Rockets because you've decided that it's hopeless that we can't improve our SOILD 9 man rotation (whatever that means)....Well, that just proves my point that you want Yao to go to another team. Again, the YOF comes out in you. Where should he go to? Golden State? LA? Where? Got Tmac? Good luck.
